Establish Quantitative Measurements of Laryngeal Sensorimotor Functions and Evaluating the Grade of Phonation and Swallowing Impairment

Establish Comprehensive Quantitative Measurements of Laryngeal Sensorimotor Functions and Evaluating the Grade of Phonation and Swallowing Impairment

Laryngeal motor and sensory nerve dysfunction may cause phonation and swallowing disturbance, which often happens after the treatment for laryngopharyngeal and esophageal cancer and may induce fatal complications such as aspiration pneumonia. By the conventional examinations, the tiny sensory or motor changes are hard to be detected before complete vocal paralysis. It is utmost important to establish a comprehensive quantitative method which is sensitive enough to evaluate the neuromuscular functions. The present project will evaluate the laryngeal nerve function by quantitative laryngeal electromyography, which was developed by the research team, and another novel examination technique, mucosal membrane sensation test. The comprehensive method is expected to grade the laryngeal nerve injuries quantitatively before the significant symptoms or complications and can also help to evaluate the treatment effect from medicine, rehabilitation or surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with laryngopharyngeal or esophageal cancer who have taken active therapy and are not neck tissue damage.
• Patients with clear conscious and stable mental status

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who cannot sit for longer than 30 minutes or received other vocal cord treatments before the selection
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• Patients with communication disorder